Kemi Badenoch refuses to reveal who Tories could back for next Welsh Government

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has refused to say whether her party could support Plaid Cymru or Reform UK to form the next Welsh Government.

Polls suggest Labour could lose its grip on power in Wales at the Senedd election in May 2026, with the possibility for the first time since the former Welsh Assembly was established in 1999 it wouldn’t be the leading party in government.

Labour’s poor polling, and the expansion of the Senedd to 96 members using a new voting system, could dramatically alter the make up of the Welsh Parliament and which party ultimately ends up leading the government.

The new proportional system, that will elect six Members of Senedd from 16 super constituencies reflecting the share of the vote each party receives, is intended to encourage parties to work together with it unlikely any one would win more than 50 per cent of the vote nationally needed to form a majority government.

UK Conservative leader Ms Badenoch didn’t rule out the party working with others following the election but wouldn’t say if she would allow it to support either Plaid Cymru or Reform UK if either was in position to form a government with support from the Tories.

She also avoided answering whether she would be involved in any such decision or if it would be a matter for the party’s Senedd leader Darren Millar.

Asked about working with Plaid or Reform Ms Badenoch said: “Well I have said at national level we aren’t doing deals with other parties, we need to make sure people understand what Conservatives stand for.

“After the Senedd elections we can see what the people have voted for but what we won’t be doing is supporting people who are putting (forward) policies that are not Conservative.

“We have a very clear agenda, backing business, backing people who are working we’re not going to be working with parties who are doing the opposite like what we saw Labour doing in its budget this week which was taking money from workers and giving it to benefits.”

Ms Badenoch was visiting Monmouth where she met businesses and residents affected by flooding that hit the town as a result of Storm Claudia but also discussed the budget announced on Wednesday.

During her discussion with local business leaders Ms Badenoch criticised the budget, which Labour has said has asked for everyone to contribute more in taxation but is supporting the least well off.

The Tory leader said: “It was a budget for benefits. Taxing workers to pay for benefits.”

Asked if she supported the rise in the national minimum wage, for workers over 21, to £12.71 from April next year Ms Badenoch said she had also increased the minimum wage, when in government, but said the latest increase couldn’t be supported.

She said: “I actually, as business secretary, raised the minimum wage and if businesses say they can’t afford it, it doesn’t matter. You can put the minimum wage at a thousand pounds if the jobs aren’t there then people aren’t going to get that wage.

“Right now what we’re seeing is the jobs are disappearing. Unemployment has risen every single month since Labour came into office. People need to be asking why?

Independent fact checking charity Full Fact states it is correct the number of people who are unemployed and the rate of unemployment have risen overall since Labour came to power, in July 2024, but said it isn’t correct the figures have increased in “every single month”.